White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is facing questions about border security as the issue of Immigration is receiving renewed attention.
During a press briefing on Thursday, NBC Newsâ Kristen Welker asked if the White House stands by Vice President Kamala Harrisâ assertion that the border is secure.
âWhat we stand by is that we are doing everything that we can to make sure that we follow the process thatâs been put forwardâŚto make sure that the folks that we encounter at the border be removed or expelled,â the press secretary responded. âThe facts are more individuals encountered at the border will be removed or expelled this year than in any previous year.â
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However, Welker asked, âIs the border secure, Karine? Is the border secure?â
âIâm just going to refer back to the vice president. We agree with her. She is saying that thereâs a lot of work to doâŚWe agree that the border is secure, but there is still more work to be done,â Jean-Pierre said.
Welker countered, âThe question becomes, how do you even make that argument when DHS has said itâs bracing for these potentially 2 million migrants to come?â
âWeâll say this. Rebuilding the Immigration system â especially one that was decimated under the previous administration â wonât happen overnight,â Jean-Pierre said. âWe know that thereâs work to be done. But weâre doing the work to make sure that we remove and expel folks who are coming here who are being encountered at the border.â
Still, she stressed that a âlong-term solution can only come from comprehensive legislation that brings lasting reform to a fundamentally broken system.â
She also knocked the Republican governors of Texas, Arizona, and Florida for transporting migrants to other locations such as Chicago, New York City, Washington D.C., and Marthaâs Vineyard.
âWhat weâre seeing Republicans doingâŚusing migrants as a pawn is not the way to move forward on this. Thatâs not how weâre going to get this done,â Jean-Pierre said.
During an interview with NBC News, Harris was asked if she is confident the border is secure amid projections that the U.S. will see 2 million border crossings by the end of the fiscal year for the first time ever.
âWe have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration,â the vice president responded.
She added, âBut there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix given the deterioration that happened over the last four years. We also have to put into place a law and a plan for a pathway for citizenship for the millions of people who are here and are prepared to do what is legally required to gain citizenship.â
